Friday, January 28, 2011

"At the beginning of June, the designers Patricia Urquiola (Milan) and Defne Koz (Chicago/Milan/Ankara) met up with the designer Harald Gründl (EOOS, Vienna), the textile designer Martin Leuthold (Jakob Schlaepfer, St. Gallen) and the editor Marco Velardi (apartamento, Milan/Barcelona) for a two-day imm cologne Trend Board workshop in Cologne. Here they filtered out four of the most important trends in furniture and interior design – trends that represent the different levels of style and lifestyle. Once again this year, these four interior trends are summed up in a trend book called Interior Trends 2011, complete with informative names, exemplary products and lavishly photographed settings."

The four interior trends for 2011 are:

Emotional austerity - whether it's the economy or the maturing of the population, there seems to be a philosophical change from getting things to a more Zen-like appreciation of less is more.

The colors and materials are dominated by nature: wood, leather, felt and plant fibres are complemented by technical fabrics; an earthy olive hue dominates over lush and pale shades of green and is joined by powder shades from rosé to brown.

Surprising empathy - consumers are pushing their designers to use new materials to come up with something simple but unique to that client.

The dominant colour is a cold grey, accompanied by ash grey and black and brightened up with vibrant dashes of citrus yellow and mandarin orange. A light taupe mediates between grey and white and adds a little softness to the colour scale.

Re-balancing - Maybe, we could say this concerns consumers looking for comfort and striving for a balance with nature. Think recycling or being eco-minded consumers.

A warm rhubarb-red radiates positive energy and warmth and is combined with creamy-white, corn-yellow and tan shades ranging from light brown all the way to terracotta.

Transforming perspectives - here we are taking materials we've used in one way and using them differently, with different finishes and new combinations.

A dark plum-blue provides the dominant background for both an artificial lavender shade and a dove-grey with a violet shimmer. Important features are emphasised in a caramel shade with a metallic-brown gleam.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Turkish man living in Germany with his wife of 18 years went to police for protection from her insatiable appetite for sex, Bild newspaper reported Wednesday.

He told police he slept on a sofa for the past four years in a futile attempt to escape the voracious embraces of his wife.

Can you imagine sleeping on a lumpy, short sofa for four years! Now if you are finding yourself sleeping on the sofa for whatever reason, you might want to investigate our sleeper sofa options. Whether fabric or leather, Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery has a sofa that will allow you to get a good nights sleep and thus keep up your energy for those waking hours.

Bridget A Otto has outdone herself in today's Homes & Gardens in The Oregonian.

Doug Beghtel, The Oregonian

First, she profiles Don and Sally Wolcott who worked with our friend Faith Sheridan of Faith Sheridan Design Group. The Wolcotts wanted to update their kitchen cabinets and Sheridan recommended cabinetmaker Mel Archer and suggested finishing touches that the Wolcotts love. The part I like and could use in our kitchen is the under-cabinet power strip made by Task Lighting. There never seems to be enough electric outlets in our 1929 home and getting more requires punching holes in the walls.

The Oregonian

Second, Otto profiles The Joinery on SE Woodstock. For 30 years The Joinery takes hardwood trees and makes distinctive furniture.

By Randy L. Rasmussen, The Oregonian

Third, in Modern Geometry Ian and Tonia Kovtunovich lived in an 800 sq foot home in N Portland and needed more space. They hired Hiromi Ogawa of Ogawa Fisher Architects to help them with an addition. The story shows how an architect works with clients. I love the closet in the mater bedroom. The head board serves a dual purpose of hiding the closet. Tonia didn't like closed closet doors. They give her the creeps. The do me, too. Many were the times I went to my second floor bedroom of my parent's home and found the doors to the eaves open. It gave me the creeps! The closet idea could work very well in a bedroom that needs more closet space.

Frederic Zimmer, a French artist, is an internationally acclaimed sculptor. His fountains, murals, statues and stunning, handmade, one of a kind gates and imposing entrance doors are widely distributed throughout Europe, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai, Japan, the Caribbean, French Polynesia and the United States. His creations are unique and his range is impressive. Whether figurative or abstract, traditional or contemporary, the common feature of his work is a luxurious sensuousness. These works are intended to shock and challenge and to directly appeal to the viewer’s aesthetic sensibility. They combine form, color and texture to create objects of extraordinary beauty.

Zimmer designs and builds furniture, too. Take a look at this wonderful bed:

Once again HGTV is giving away a dream home, this time it's located in Stowe, Vermont. You can enter twice per day — once on HGTV.com and once on FrontDoor.com — for your chance to win the luxuriously furnished HGTV Dream Home 2011, plus a new 2011 GMC Acadia Denali* and $500,000.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Achille Brunschwig established Brunschwig & Fils in 1900 as a tapestry-weaving mill in Aubusson and Bohain, in France. Today, before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it offered 22,000 fabrics and 1,200 wallpaper designs.

As part of the restructuring agreement, the furnisher has agreed to be purchased by Kravet, a Syosset, L.I.-based, privately-held distributor of fabrics and home furnishings, in a deal that is subject to a competitive bid process.

Brunschwig does not plan to close any of its 22 showroom locations, which include an outpost at Third Avenue, between East 58th and East 59th streets—the heart of the interior design industry.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Phillips Collection’s gives us a sneak peek of their most exciting collection to date. Introducing Mexican artist Karla d’Lara.

In spirit of bringing artists to center stage in the furnishings community, we are announcing an exclusive and grand introduction of her sculptures, tables, and accessories for 2011. During the upcoming furniture market in Las Vegas, we will have one hundred and fifty of her works on display at one of our flagship showrooms at the World Market Center (Suite A202).

Karla began to study photography as a teenager during summer trips abroad, and it became her first great passion. After taking advanced courses and accumulating plenty of experience, she traveled through Europe, Asia, and the Americas capturing the images of different cultures. Karla is able to amalgamate her ideas with the help of skilled and exacting craftsmen, who have shared their homegrown techniques from workshops in Tonala, Jalisco, a hotbed of artists and great authors. A case in point is artist Salvador Rabelero, an expert in ceramics, glass, pigment combinations, acrylic paintings and mixed techniques. Today he is Karla’s inseparable partner in artistic creation.

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Decorology has some fabulous and maybe even slightly scary images of "...an art nouveau dream - the whimsical and nature inspired Barcelona home designed by Gaudi. Possibly Gaudi's most beautiful masterpiece, the Casa Batlló."

Friday, January 07, 2011

During Las Vegas Market, January 24 - 28th, Lorts will introduce "The Christy Dillard collection." This is their first designer collection and it will build on the strengths of the Lorts brand and incorporate signatures of Christy's style: classic silhouettes with unexpected detailing, bold color and styling selections, and an energized, contemporary perspective.

Yesterday, we posted that Pantone has chosen Honeysuckle (pink) to be the color for 2011. Right after that I got an email from Peking Handicraft showing Trina Turk (one of my personal favorite clothes designer) is showing P I N K!!!

Then, the NYT announces on December 30th the return of the Pink bathroom:

photo courtesy of LAUFEN
A hot-pink and white bathroom by the Swiss company Laufen.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Motoya Nakamura, The Oregonian
Sara Ledoux and two of her children, Elizabeth and Alexander, enjoy some family time.

Bridget A Otto tells us today that Sara and Steve moved into their NW home that "the previous owner had done a precise and careful update to the property." Sara added color in the formal dining and living rooms, but something was missing. Enter interior designer Kimberlee Jaynes to take it to the next level.

That's what so great about using a designer. Through their education and experience, they can get you the "final layer."

Otto quotes Jaynes:

"That's one of the things that is challenging, the final layer," she says. "You don't see the importance until it is done. Before, you can't figure out what's wrong with the room, and you don't want to spend any more money, but something's not right."

For those of you following local sports Kimberlee Jaynes is married to the "Godfather", Dwight Jaynes, and is referred to as the "goddess" by sports fans.

While the 2010 color of the year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, served as an escape for many, Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.

“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”